Lentils

Plant family

Hülsenfrüchtler (Fabaceae) (Fabaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

Low

Seeding distance

5 cm

Row spacing

20 cm

Seeding depth

3 cm

Instructions

End of May

Sowing

End of May

Weeding

Every two Weeks

End of May

Mulch

Beginning of June

Thinning

Beginning of June

Support

Description

Lentils belong to the legume family. The annual, bushy climbing plant reaches growth heights between 20 and 50 cm. Only the seeds are eaten. Depending on the lentil variety, the size and color of the seeds differ. Roughly, they are divided into "large-seeded" and "small-seeded". As a legume, it is perfect for green manuring. Its roots enter into a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. As a result, nitrogen accumulates in the soil. Successive crops, such as high-yielding cabbage crops or cucurbits, benefit from this.

Growing tips

Sowing begins in mid-April to early May, depending on the variety. Lentils are plants that are weak in competition. Especially in fertile locations, they are not very tolerant of wild weeds. Therefore, you should loosen and weed the bed before sowing. Be sure to keep the bed free of wild weeds. Lentils are climbing plants and appreciate a support. Dry twigs from the garden or other climbing aids are suitable for this. Depending on when they are sown, harvest begins in mid to late August. Mature lentils have brown discolored pods. The pods ripen from the bottom to the top of the plant. Therefore, you cannot harvest them all at the same time. You have to re-harvest again and again. Let the pods dry and remove the seeds. Then sieve the rest to separate the seeds from the pod remnants.